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Mythspace

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Uncommon Ground and Devoirers of Light are two separate stories in the Mythspace universe, but for Free Comic Book Day 2014, we've woven previews of each into a single tale, to give you an idea of the interconnectedness of our stories, Also included are excerpts from our Design Works sections on both stories, and finally a few images that tease what Studio Salimbal has in store for you in the coming year.

What if the creatures from Philippine folklore — the tikbalangs, nuno, kapre — were inspired by sightings of actual alien races? That’s the question that fuels the Mythspace stories.

In "Unfurling of Wings" part 1 (of 2), Ri-En, Books, and Zu are orphans who eke out a living in the slums of an aging space station, under the protection of their mentor, Ka-Ang. But Ka-Ang’s health is deteriorating, and the three friends hatch a desperate plan to save him — one which places them on a collision course with the station’s worst criminal gang, as well as one of the dreaded, immortal, Sixths.

Art by Borg Sinaban and Story by Paolo Chikiamco

Reading Notes: A stand-alone story, which spotlights the Tan'gal race (to which Val-is-ya, from the Lift Off stories, belongs) and their unique biology. The target of the heist in the story also ties in with a plot point from Lift Off.

Folklore Notes: The Tan'gal are based on the Manananggal, or Viscera-suckers, of Philippine folklore, known for their ability to self-segment.

What if the creatures from Philippine folklore — the tikbalangs, nuno, kapre — were inspired by sightings of actual alien races? That’s the question that fuels the Mythspace stories.

In “Devourers of Light”, we learn why the Kapres and the Laho (the reptilian race that inspired the Bakunawa legends) loathe each other. The Laho lead an inter-species alliance to punish the Kapre for violating a galaxy-wide taboo… but when Supreme Apex Barkarilkarilmon loses his patience with the other races, the Laho take independent action — with disastrous consequences for the Kapre race.

Reading Notes: A stand-alone story, this explains why the Laho are the most powerful race (aside from the Lewen’ri) in the Mythspace universe, and also shows why the Kapre are the most unfortunate race. It also gives the reason why no two races hate each other like the Laho and the Kapre, which is important for a future Mythspace story — Mythspace: Common Ground.

Folklore Notes: The Laho are based on the moon-swallowing monsters from folklore, such as the Bakunawa.

What if the creatures from Philippine folklore — the tikbalangs, nuno, kapre — were inspired by sightings of actual alien races? That’s the question that fuels the Mythspace stories.

In “Black Mark”, readers gain insight into the fractious society of the crafty Nuno, where political zealots (who tint their skins to signify their party loyalties) have the government in a persistent state of gridlock. Yet, legend has it that there is a faction that transcends politics: the legendary Black, a task force that is authorized to go to extreme measures to safeguard Nuno society. Helmless Mang, a pariah on his home planet, is about to find out that the Black are very real — and both more powerful and more terrible than that the stories would have you believe…

Story by Paolo Chikiamco, art by Paul Quiroga.

Reading Notes: Stand-alone story, but provides insight into the Nuno, the race of Qu in Lift-off. Nunos also play roles in Humanity and Devourers of Light.

Folklore Notes: We combined the Nuno and Dwende from folklore to form the Nuno race — the idea of different Nuno types being distinguished by skin color comes from stories about the dwende. The Bungis were one-eyed giants in our folklore.

What if the creatures from Philippine folklore — the tikbalangs, nuno, kapre — were inspired by sightings of actual alien races? That’s the question that fuels the Mythspace stories.

In “Humanity”, the descendants of humans abductees (taken from Earth centuries ago) labor as slave-miners in the asteroid fields of the materialistic Kataw. Danny and Marta are two young miners, thrust into dire straits when a stroke of good fortune leads to a calculating betrayal. When salvation comes in the form of the legendary Dalakitnon — Free Humans — both of them must decide for themselves what they would give up, to be free.

Story by Paolo Chikiamco, artwork by C.R. Chua.

Reading Notes: A stand-alone story, this expands on the plight of humanity in the galaxy, which is touched upon in Lift-off. Also gives you a glimpse of the culture of the Kataw, and why they have the reputation that they do (as seen a bit in Devourers of Light and Black Mark).

Folklore Notes: The Dalakitnon are one of the “elves” mentioned in Philippine folklore. Kataw is another name for Sirena/Mermaid.

Kapre. Nuno. Manananggal. They are monsters of the past, remnants of primitive fantasies.

UFOs. Aliens. Extraterrestrials. They are hallucinations, creations of modern science fiction.

Or are they? Evidence unearth is debunked…or disappears. Witnesses who speak are ridiculed…or silenced.

We are alone, say our leaders. There are no Manananggal that consume our children. There are no Kapres who watch in the night. There are no aliens that abduct our neighbors. There are no UFOs with dazzling lights.

We were never alone. These are not your Lola’s monsters. These are not your children’s aliens.

They are one and the same. They are here. Mythspace features a young Filipino searching for his family, in a galaxy populated by the aliens that inspired his culture's legendary monsters; a galaxy where Earth is a quarantined backwater, and any humans found off-planet are considered to be slaves or terrorists.